The dazzling radiance of the Five Emperors Shield spun like a magnificent wind-fire wheel, unleashing gusts of hurricanes as it charged headlong toward the sharp tip of the Emperor Blade.
The strongest divine weapon in heaven and earth was provoked so directly for the very first time.
Electric light, as pure as ice and snow, seemed to tear countless fragments from the void, dancing and flickering wildly, confusing the sight. All one could perceive was five layers of brilliant light enveloping a core of brilliant snow-white luminescence, resisting and grinding against each other with a sound that made one’s gums ache.
The entire Dark Great World seemed to tremble violently; the void fractured like crashing waves, disintegrating into countless shards of light.
Every living being in this world felt a vast pressure thundering down from the sky like an unmoving monolith, as if two colossal celestial beings were locked in combat overhead, making it impossible for anyone to dare look up.
Boom!
The sharp, snow-bright blade-light let out a clear, long cry, like the roar of a ferocious deity. It carried an unstoppable momentum of sheer sharpness, its entire form engulfed in surging black flames. At this moment, the blade was no longer merely a blade; it was an energy—unique and singular across heaven and earth!
This was an unprecedented battle!
Celestial Gods were already rare in the world, existing above the mundane order, enjoying the deference of the world and the respect of all souls. Now, the Five Emperors Shield, condensed from the essence of five Great Celestial Gods, possessed an indescribable power, a novel form of energy that transcended any known energy type.
Ye Chen’s Emperor Divine Blade had never known defeat. Could it truly fall here?
Who else in this world could stand against this unprecedented Five Emperors Shield?
The instant the two supreme divine weapons collided, time itself seemed to halt across the world. All sound vanished.
The sharp, piercing tip of the blade slowly, inch by inch, bored into the spinning Five Emperors Shield, penetrating its center. Slowly, it sliced open a fissure.
A single wound was enough to shock the world.
However, as the blade tip pierced the Five Emperors Shield, the extremely fine and sharp tip was suddenly warped inward by an intense surge of energy, immediately snapping off!
The blade tip broke!
The moment the tip fractured, the unique divine weapon thrashed violently. The sharp edge whipped the entire Five Emperors Shield, tearing it apart into four or five pieces.
Mutual injury!
The Emperor Divine Blade recoiled as if drinking back water, coalescing back into Ye Chen’s form. A trace of blood lined his mouth, and his eyes showed a mixture of shock, gravity, and cold sharpness.
Stagger, stagger, stagger!
The Dark Celestial God retreated three consecutive steps, then spat out a mouthful of blood, his immense aura momentarily thrown into chaos, though he swiftly suppressed it.
A look of terror flashed in his eyes; he hadn't expected Ye Chen’s power to be so terrifying. The Five Emperors Shield, formed from the collective power of five Great Celestial Gods, couldn't even stop his blade!
What kind of blade was this?
It must be known that combining the power of five Great Celestial Gods was not a simple matter of one plus one equaling two. His current strength was already approaching that of the Ancient God, not far behind the Ancient Battle Venerable. Yet, he had suffered a loss at Ye Chen's hands!
Most crucially, Ye Chen had not yet unleashed the Blade Spirit. If he did, the combination of the blade body and the Blade Spirit would truly amplify its might, turning it into a super-fierce weapon!
“You must die!” The Dark Celestial God lifted his head, staring fixedly at Ye Chen.
Ye Chen looked back coldly, “You too.”
When one person believes another must die, there is usually only one reason: that person poses an existential threat.
The Dark Celestial God clenched his fists, took a deep breath, then wiped the blood from his lips, raising his head with a cold smile toward Ye Chen. “I underestimated you before. Now, I will use my true strength. Your blade tip is broken; today, this place will become your blade’s tomb!”
“Many people have said that,” Ye Chen replied indifferently. “But in the end, they were the ones who went first.”
The word "went" carried many implications, and here, it undoubtedly meant death.
The Dark Celestial God sneered softly and said slowly, “Do you know why the Celestial Gods are called Gods?”
Ye Chen offered no reply.
If someone asked him a question, he wasn't always obligated to answer; the mouth belonged to him.
The Dark Celestial God continued, “Since the dawn of time, counting all the World Supremes who have risen and fallen, there have certainly been no less than a thousand of them, especially during the Primordial Era when experts were as numerous as forest trees; there were many World Supremes then.”
Ye Chen listened quietly.
“However, there have always been only nine Celestial Gods, and this number has remained constant from ancient times until now. None have ever perished, and none have risen to replace them. Everyone assumes this is due to insufficient cultivation; that is not the case.”
Ye Chen stated, “I am listening.”
The Dark Celestial God frowned slightly, then continued, “Historically, there have been geniuses capable of touching the threshold of this realm, or using World Power with special operational methods to bring their strength almost to the level of a Celestial God. But none could ever become one. This is because the Celestial Gods were spontaneously birthed by Heaven and Earth, created by the Ancient World to maintain it and serve as the leaders of all myriad spirits.”
“That is why we are called Gods.”
“Gods are always different from mortals.”
“Mortals are mortals; they can never become Gods in a lifetime. Gods are not only different in status but also in essence. Within every Celestial God resides a Divine Seal. There are only nine of these Divine Seals in the entire world, and all are within us. Even if someone possesses greater aptitude or qualifications than us, they cannot become a Celestial God. Even if someone could seize the Divine Seal within us, they still couldn't become a Celestial God.”
“Because the Divine Seals within us are mutually matched, and our bodies are not biological bodies but true Divine Bodies. Only a Divine Body can accept a Divine Seal.”
Ye Chen looked at him and suddenly said, “You mean to say that merging the power of five Great Celestial Gods into a single body makes you the first person in history?”
“The first person in history naturally possesses some unique abilities.” The Dark Celestial God looked at him and suddenly smiled. “Do you know why the nine of us Celestial Gods fell? Did you think it was truly to hunt the Great Dao?”
Ye Chen watched him quietly, then slowly spoke, “You were killed by the Ancient Battle Venerable.”
A sharp glint flashed in the Dark Celestial God’s eyes. “Correct!” He looked at Ye Chen. “Initially, the Ancient Battle Venerable was merely a chaotic consciousness—the very entity that created this world. Its mission was to operate the world and bring life to it. Thus, it created the nine of us, stripping away the vast majority of the power from its own body.”
Ye Chen listened quietly, as if he had already known this.
“Only later did it gradually develop its own unique consciousness. Look at its current appearance—it resembles a human. Once one becomes human, they possess human kindness and human evil. Whether good or evil, both are forms of transgression.”
“A person might kill out of kindness, or save someone out of ferocity. Matters in this world are inherently difficult to define. Whether good or evil, both have developed desires.”
This reasoning seemed quite simple.
“At that point, the Ancient God arrived in this world, hailing from the Ancient Realm—a mysterious place. The Ancient Battle Venerable sensed a threat from the Ancient God. In fact, according to the information we received, the Ancient God had come to replace it and become the new controller of the world!”
“Therefore, it wished to kill the nine of us, re-absorbing our power back into its body. Only then would it possess enough capability to fight the Ancient God!” The Dark Celestial God sneered at Ye Chen. “These are secrets. It matters little if I tell you, as you are merely a weapon. I only want to tell you that possessing the power of five Great Celestial Gods within my body now means even the Ancient Battle Venerable cannot deal with me.”
Ye Chen gazed at him steadily, then suddenly stated, “You should know my origins.”
The Dark Celestial God frowned, suddenly realizing something, and his expression shifted slightly. “You mean…”
“I became the foremost divine weapon in the world because I am intrinsically a celestial meteorite that drifted from the Ancient Realm to this place, which was then obtained by the Ancient Battle Venerable and forged into a divine weapon,” Ye Chen stated plainly.
The Dark Celestial God’s expression turned unsightly.
“The earlier breaking of your blade tip was feigned?”
Ye Chen nodded slightly. “Indeed.”
“You should know that I came from the Ancient Realm. I have only been destroyed once, at the hands of the Ancient God. Other than that, nothing else can break me,” Ye Chen looked at him quietly.
The Dark Celestial God’s face changed drastically. He suddenly turned and fled, his body moving with a swiftness akin to light. However, the moment he moved, a blade-edge, sharp as light, appeared at his neck and swiftly began to slice across.
Nothing could describe the speed of this blade—not even light!
In a mere flash, copious amounts of blood jetted from the Dark Celestial God’s neck. If there was anything in this world capable of slicing through the neck of a Celestial God, it could only be Ye Chen’s body.
He was like a Sword of Retribution!
Nothing could escape him!
A multicolored radiance immediately erupted across the Dark Celestial God’s form, enveloping his body like a sphere of light. He tore through the void and fled into the distance.
Ye Chen let out a cold laugh, flashed forward, retracted that sliver of blade-edge, and transformed into the sharp Sword of Retribution, fiercely pursuing the Dark Celestial God.
The power of the void and the force of the wind were automatically drawn aside as the blade edge cut through them.
Ye Chen’s figure rapidly closed the distance to the Dark Celestial God.
The Dark Celestial God’s pupils constricted; his heart was so tense it felt suffocated. He hadn't expected Ye Chen’s strength to be so profound and bottomless. With the auxiliary power of the Blade Spirit, he might truly be capable of fighting the Ancient Battle Venerable!
How could he be this strong?
If he was this strong, why was he taken by the Ancient Battle Venerable to lose the Blade Spirit?
A fleeting thought crossed the Dark Celestial God’s mind. The world origin of the Dark Great World had already perceived the events in the Ancient Battle Venerable’s Divine Palace through its inherent connection with the Ancient Battle Venerable, relaying this information to him.
But he had no time to ponder now; the blade tip behind him was almost piercing his flesh.
Flee! Flee! Flee!